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Thomas Newman has been confirmed to be scoring Pixar's 2014 movie "The Good Dinosaur", as confirmed by Film Music Reporter, which I am about to quote. But pay attention to the part I bolded http://filmmusicreporter.com/2013/03/15/thomas-newman-to-score-pixars-the-good-dinosaur/ What the heck is the other major film he is scoring this year?

I am happy to announce the latest collaboration between the London Symphony Orchestra, the European FilmPhilharmonic Institute and conductor Frank Strobel:
"Tribute to Steven Spielberg"
December 10, 2017 @ Philharmonie de Paris, France
London Symphony Orchestra
Frank Strobel, conductor
Repertoire to include excerpts from
BACK TO THE FUTURE by Alan Silvestri
BRIDGE OF SPIES by Thomas Newman
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE by John Williams
JAWS by John Williams
JURASSIC PARK III by Don Davis
POLTERGEIST by Jerry Goldsmith
SUPER 8 by Michael Giacchino
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN by John Williams
THE BFG by John Williams
and other works
https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/en/activity/concert-avec-images/17859-hommage-steven-spielberg

I mentioned this over in the Skyfall review thread, but wanted to create a new thread for discussion as the film goes through production.
Apparently, Mendes is 75% sure he'll return to direct, and is waiting for the final script to be turned in.
Craig, Fiennes, Harris, and Wishaw are all signed on to reprise their respective roles. If Mendes returns, surely we'll get Deakins and Newman again as well. This has suddenly become one of my most anticipated films.

Tom turns 60 today. He's had quite a career so far and a very busy month! Can't wait for SPECTRE to be released later this week:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8ghVSwQenU And some of his other stuff:
(one of his finest themes in that last clip) Karol

This might come a bit late in the game since the Academy Awards came and went already but Jim Svedja of KUSC Classical interviewed John Williams before the Oscars and here is the 30 minute talk they had. Also on the same site are the interviews with other three of the five Oscar nominees of 2014 and of course all the older KUSC programmes, including previous year's Oscar nominee interviews. John Williams is his humble and gracious self in the interview but what shines through very clearly during this talk is his truly deep appreciation for his colleagues, musicians and music itself. A fine listen. I am off to hear what Desplat, Price and Newman had to say!

As you all know, and if the thread title doesn't clue you in, I don't like Thomas Newman's music. It's all ambient and sparkly but it rarely has that underbelly of substance that I want from my music. It's part of what I like about John Williams. Even in his most cheery and sparkly pieces, he writes with a darker (almost sad?) voice, a fullness, and weight you don't get elsewhere. It's the same case with Jerry Goldsmith. Yet you all seem to love this Snoozeman fellow. I can't seem to connect the line from Williams fandom to Snoozeman fandom. So your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to introduce me to Thomas Newman pieces that clarify that connection. I like one Thomas Newman album throughout: Skyfall. Outside of that, I like the track "Rock Island, 1931" from Road to Perdition. I particularly love the heavy string writing following the ethnic stuff in that track. And that's it. I know, not much to work with.

This is the new Disney film coming out this December about Walt Disney trying to get the movie rights to Mary Poppins from the book's author, and the subsequent production of the film. Here's the trailer
Anyways, Thomas Newman is scoring it, and the CD comes out December 10th on Walt Disney Records. I assume there will be a standard AND deluxe edition, but right now only a 2CD Deluxe Edition is up for pre-order on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DYOGQ4S/

The OST to Skyfall composed by Thomas Newman will be released on Monday October 22nd (International) / Tuesday November 6th (USA) by Sony Classical. More info as soon as I get it. UPDATES: Amazon UK link with Monday October 22nd release date: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0096233ZW/ Amazon US link with Tuesday November 6th release date: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009FBX5M0/ Cover art:

The Good German
Music by Thomas Newman
A review of the soundtrack album by Mikko Ojala
The Good German by Thomas Newman is a strangely compelling listening experience and a younger composer's journey in the footsteps of his father and the other great masters of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Thomas Newman was to my mind an unlikely candidate to score this Steven Soderbergh's reverent homage to the film noir genre but he pulled it off with convincing panache and skill. Here he seems to channel the past masters in style but still retains his own unmistakable touch sound and orchestration wise, the mixing of these two proving to be an almost hypnotic experience steeped in musical shadows, femme fatales, intrigue and danger around every corner.
Newman's own crystal clear and often gossamer thin orchestrations, again courtesy of Thomas Pasatieri his regular orchestrator, are at times bolstered by a heftier string and brass (horn) sound but he conjures up a very passing facsimile of the sound and style of the earlier era, full of gloomy and doom laden musical motifs, a sinuously sensuous love theme for solo violin and a thundering melodramatic main title theme for the horns and pounding timpani, smaller motifs for mystery and intrigue appearing throughout and a simple and an honestly warm Americana theme popping up a couple of times in the midst of all the musical skull duggery, a rare but welcome guest. Newman's favourite woodwinds, cor anglais and oboe make frequent appearances as well always lending subtly tragic and apprehensive air to the melodies they perform, the score having a sort of lingering and yearning feeling throughout under the veneer of mystery.
It is noteworthy that while Newman at times lets loose some grand orchestral gestures, the general atmosphere of the score is restrained, the intrigue often scored by rising dark string harmonies and the glittering sharp sounds of a single harp. Personally I think it would be interesting to hear Mr. Newman using a full symphonic ensemble with the entire spectrum of instruments but he still seems to be most comfortable with the reduced forces.
Unrecht Oder Recht (Main Title) is a definite highlight, presenting all the above mentioned themes in quick succession, an overture in short, and a good musical road map to the themes of the score. This main theme heard in the Main Title appears throughout in subtle variations, somewhat more frequently than in an average Newman score, as do all the themes, a welcome change from his usually isolated thematic appearances. Tracks like The Kraut Brain Trust and The Brandenburg Gate offer more energetic scoring and variety in the otherwise mystery shrouded musical world.
Action pieces on the album are short but furious, horns and strings usually providing the momentum and tension for these brief scuffles, the composer again using his own sensibilities while evoking the film scoring style of the Golden Age. And finally the love theme, which is one of Newman's finer creations is treated to a set of beautiful variations ranging from flute setting to a duet of oboe and violin, the theme having a perfect bittersweet quality of film noir's great love themes for the femme fatales, seductive but with a hint of danger. This idea is also one of the main attractions of the album and tracks like A Good Dose, The Good German, Always Something Worse and the album finale of Jedem Das Seine are among the best on the OST.
I feel that the score album is just long enough at 44 minutes as the composer definitely includes all the highlights and more. The soundtrack is also thematically quite subtle and gloomy in general so it can wear you down as many of the tracks have a lingering feel, the music languidly wafting forward, part atmosphere, part thematic storytelling. But for those who love the film noir genre and intelligent and succesful modern application of some of its classic stylistics, this is a lovely musical memento.
4/5 stars
-Mikko Ojala-